This early-50s Harmony StratoTone has no truss rod, and the neck is warped. Dan Erlewine repairs it by installing carbon fiber neck rods. The week after this repair was done, another copper-colored StratoTone came in with the same problem!

Customer Reviews

Great Sustain!

Needed a new neck for a '70s Les Paul Black Beauty, and I like thin necks, so I built one with a carbon fibre rod on each side of the adjustable truss rod. Les Pauls have legendary sustain, but this one now beats them all.

carbon fiber neck rods

I'm making my first baritone ukuleles and decided to put a carbon fiber rod into the neck. Easily done and I'm sure it will keep the neck level. No photo yet but will add a photo when the instrument is finished.

Carbon fibre neck rod.

I'm restoring an old Parlor guitar. The neck that someone attempted to attach to the body looked like it came off an early Martin guitar, no truss rod. What a mess they made! After re-attaching the neck I thought it might be good to add some support to the neck. I couldn't believe how strong that little carbon rod was, I couldn't bend, and light as a feather. Cut a grove and press it in. It doesn't add any weight like a steel rod would.

Making a Guitar

I used the carbon fiber rods, bridge,fingerboard and tuners, making a guitar for a friend of mine. He wanted me to make a guitar from the wood in his grandmothers old piano, made in 1889, after taking it all apart which was mostly veneer, I found a nice piece of figured maple for the back, some curly birch for the sides, some walnut for the neck, and of course spruce from the big soundboard, it is not finished yet, but I am anxious to see what the old wood in this piano will sound like in this new flat top guitar, which is made from stew Macs dreadnaught plans. I will be taking some pictures is you are interested.